Little White Lies
by diemdoll
Summary: Little White Lies: The web that intertwined them was made of nothing more than little white lies. In the end, will the culmination of their lies be responsible for their downfall, or will they make it out unscathed?
1. Little White Lies

Title: Little white lies

Summary:The tangled web that intertwined them was made up of nothing more than little white lies.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters.

::

There was nothing that he hated more than to be seated in the same room as the man across from him. It was the smugness of his smile, he decided, that he hated the most. Draco had learned to stomach his inflated ego over the course of the last two years. Being surrounded by men with false senses of self-importance as an adolescent had all but prepared him for these monthly encounters.

That smile, however, was loathsome. It was as deranged as a decrepit Jack o' lantern and, even so, it still managed to scream _I'm better than you. _When in reality, he thought as he picked up a crystal glass from the coffee table, no one was better than a Malfoy man.

He brought the glass to his lips, taking a swig of the dark liquid. He noted the look of contempt painted on the face on the man sitting across from him and shrugged in response.

"Don't worry, Goldstein," He tipped his glass at the man, his smirk widening as Goldstein's eyes narrowed. "It's got to be half past five _somewhere_."

"I wouldn't advise for you to be drinking in our presence." Goldstein retorted.

"You're no fun," He taunted, clicking his tongue as he set the glass on the coffee table. If he were to be honest, he was _nearly_ impressed at how such a simple statement could sound like a threat. Goldstein must have been practicing in his spare time. "Tell me though, Goldstein, does your division seek to control my drinking in the same manner that you control my estate?"

The Auror simply smiled, "I could look into that if you would like, Mr. Malfoy. It's never too late to add an amendment or two to the clause. It _has _been growing like gillyweed as of late. Not a soul would notice."

"Don't test me, Goldstein." He drawled, with all of the arrogance that befit his surname.

"You're in no position to be tested, Mr. Malfoy, let's be very clear on that. I would suggest that you hold in your temper when speaking to an Auror. I might start to believe that you hold ill-will towards the Ministry, which, as I'm sure you could imagine, would make your probation review very difficult."

Draco arched an eyebrow, "My, my, Goldstein...Is that a threat?

Another smile, "Think of it more as a-"

A cough to the left of Goldstein sent both of their eyes in that direction. Seated next to him was Auror Patil who, as she always did, looked as if she were ready to explode- or implode, he was never quite sure of which it would be. Her body was stiff against the plushness of the sofa she was seated on and she was grasping the handle of her teacup so tightly that he surprised it hadn't yet snapped under the pressure of her fingers.

"Mr. Malfoy," Parvati started slowly. She gave a hesitant look to her counterpart who seemed to relax under her eyes. "We are not here to cause you any undue duress. We are simply here because you requested that we be."

"I want what is mine," He bit out. He stared at the dark haired woman across from him until she broke eye contact. He always loathed when she would insert herself into the arguments that he and Goldstein had. While he didn't remember her enough from Hogwarts to dislike her, nor had he had many encounters with her post, he wasn't above using the same intimidation tactics he had used as a school aged boy when she intervened.

"You're luckier than most, Mr. Malfoy," She replied, ignoring the look on his face. "Your accounts have not been frozen by the Ministry. While you may not have _full_ access, we have always made sure that you have enough to carry out your responsibilities- and we will continue to do so until your probation has been lifted..barring any egregious circumstances."

_Egregious circumstances_. He had heard that from numerous Ministry officials over the course of his probation. It was the Ministry's way of letting him know that they held the power. They could take what was his by birth, and worse, if he so much as coughed in a way they deemed inappropriate.

"I have continued to uphold the terms of my probation, and I am due what is rightfully mine." He replied slowly. He couldn't trust that his reaction would be anywhere near hospitable if his speech came out any faster.

"You are owed nothing by the Ministry." Goldstein challenged, "You are on probation because of the crimes you committed. The fact that you are not rotting in a jail cell along with your co-conspirators should be enough for you!"

"Yes, because probation is Merlin sent! I am given scraps of my own money from the Ministry as if I'm a child due to the choices that were made for me when I was nothing more than a child." He spat out.

"Which is why your accounts remain unfrozen. The Ministry took into consideration your age. You, and many of your friends, have limited access to your accounts because we examined many different factors when determining the conditions of your would be probation. We are fair." Came the soft voice of Parvati. She looked towards Goldstein for affirmation before continuing, " We simply dole out what has been calculated as appropriate. You hardly live in the slums here at the Manor!"

"And who determines what is appropriate?" He questioned, leaning closer to the dark haired witch than he had meant to. Though now, as Goldstein flexed his fingers around his wand, it was hard not to notice the proximity. "Oh, come off it, Goldstein! I may not enjoy your company, but I enjoy my freedom more than enough to keep my hands to myself."

"It's fine, Anthony," Parvati quickly reassured, squeezing his shoulder. "We aren't at liberty to discuss specifics with you or anyone else in your position. What I will say is that Gringotts is the one who calculates and comes up with the recommendation and we simply sign off on it! Really, if you have such problems with the way your estate is being handled you should be taking appointments with _them_ and not _us_."

Draco watched as Goldstein's body stiffened. For her part, she seemed oblivious to the slip of her tongue.

"We're just a part of the chain of command! This isn't simply controlled by one or two people at the Ministry, as you seem to think!" She finished looking as flustered as he was sure Goldstein, whose face remained indifferent, felt.

"Malf-"

"I believe I got what I needed, " Draco said, once again picking up the crystal glass from the coffee table. "You are free to leave."

::

She was alphabetizing her files.

She felt ridiculous doing it, given how her colleagues teased her about it, but there was work to be done. Besides, making sure everything was orderly now would save her the headache of sifting through hundreds of folders later. She knew that it would be much simpler to wave her wand and have magic do the rest, but that was not how she operated.

Her colleagues, and friends alike, actually believed that she enjoyed doing these mundane tasks- but she scoffed at the very notion. Hermione was simply as meticulous as she was brilliant, and knew that no matter how much she adored being a witch, there was just some things that a pair of hands and set of eyes did better than a wand. That was why she excelled at her studies during Hogwarts, and why she had proven herself to be an asset to the Order during the war.

She had brought her unique skill set to Gringotts a little over a year ago after leaving her post at the Ministry. She missed little about her previous job, with the exception of the coffee pot in the lounge- and with all things considered, this was a better fit for her. When Gringotts had made her an offer that she couldn't refuse, she didn't.

Gathering the first stack of folders in her arms, she stepped towards the rolling ladder that leaned against the shelving in her office. "Barnett, Beezly, Bulstrode, Carr," She whispered absently to herself as she carefully stepped up the ladder and pushed herself to the correct row. "Dinstov, Flint."

Running her fingertips over the leather bound binders; she slipped each folder in their rightful slot. The ladder wobbled as she pushed a piece of brown curl -or frizz, as it was now- behind her ear. Her fingers grabbed ahold of the shelving, flexing tightly at the sound of an amused chuckle from the doorway.

"Who knew you'd have more near death experiences here than you did during the war?" He laughed. "Isn't this supposed to be the safest place in all of London?"

She thought of ignoring him, but knew that her silence would only be met with more laughs at her expense. Pushing herself to another section of the shelving, she slid the folders into their place before glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Don't be daft. Gringotts is the second safest _after _Hogwarts. Regardless, Gringotts is only safe for valuables." She corrected, all but slapping herself over the head as a file slipped through her grips and fell to the floor.

He had walked over to her before she had a chance to climb down the ladder herself. They eyed each other for a moment before he handed her the file; his fingers brushing against hers for a moment longer than she thought they truly needed to.

"Don't sell yourself short, Hermione," He said honestly. He coupled this with a dimpled grin that had, if she remembered correctly, charmed many girls back in school. "Could you imagine the headlines? Famed heroine survives the war only to be knocked off by a few pieces of parchment and a rolling ladder!"

Hermione hurriedly turned her head back to the shelving as a blush swept across her cheeks. "Is there a reason why you're terrorizing me, Dean?" She questioned as she cleared her throat. "_Surely_, there must be gold that you could be procuring somewhere in the world."

"It's noon!" He said impatiently. He tapped two fingers on his wrist as if a watch was strapped to it. When she arched an eyebrow at him, he gave an exasperated sigh, "It's time for lunch. Y'know, for being the brightest witch of your generation you don't seem to know that people have to eat in order to survive."

She rolled her eyes at him and then cringed. She was positive that she hadn't rolled her eyes at anyone since she was a child. _Dean Thomas, _She mumbled to herself.

"I have to get this finished before the hour is over!" She insisted. Gingerly, as to not make a fool out of herself, she descended the stairs. She noted to herself that if the rolling ladder were truly going to do her in, it would definitely be the fault of the wobbly third rung. She gathered yet another stack of folders as Dean threw both hands in the air, "I _need _to sort these files, add notations to a dozen different logs, and-"

"Bippity, boopity, boo!" He interrupted. "I _know_ you've seen that muggle movie. Wave that wand of yours and everything that needs to be done will be done. Bippity. Boppity. _Boo_."

She bit her lip in order to keep from smiling. She knew that that would only encourage his madness.

"That's not how it works, Dean! Yes, magic would get it done quickly, but it wouldn't be done in the way I want it to be done, " She found herself laughing in spite of what she had promised herself. She stepped back onto the ladder and pushed herself to the next section. "I didn't know that you liked children's movies, though. I'll have to keep that in mind."

"We were all young once," He smiled with a glint in his eyes. "Look, if you need help considered it arrived. I've been staring at a picture of Blordak's mum all day! I might have asked the bloke if it was his dad...needless to say, he needs some time to cool off."

"Blordak's dad has a full beard, Dean!" She tsked, stepping off the ladder once more. Instead of gathering more files, she sat at her desk. She rummaged through the open drawers until she found the logs she was looking for. She waved one at him to take, but he simply shooed her hand away.

He leaned into her cautiously. "And so does his mum!" He whispered furiously. He looked towards the door as if their conversation was being monitored before leaning in closer. "So, you can now see where my confusion stemmed from!"

Finally taking a log from Hermione, he allowed his eyes to scan down the piece of parchment.

"Spending reports? He asked as he finally took the report from her hand. Hermione bobbed her head as he picked up another from her desk. "You, Hermione, must have the most boring job in all of the Wizarding world. I have no idea how you do it. They'll erect statues of you once the ladder puts you in your grave."

"We can't all chase our tails around the world in search of cursed gold, Dean." She replied, rolling her eyes once more.

"We can all strive though." He pumped his fist in the air at this, though he quickly tried to recover by running his hand through his hair at her warning glare. "Okay, I'll be good. What do you need?"

::

"Gentlemen." He greeted coolly as he walked into the dining room. He paused but a moment to take a wine glass from the serving platter of one of his house elves. Gripping the glass in his hand, he found his place at the head of the table. "I trust that I did not keep you waiting very long."

As he had assumed, the table erupted in low laughter.

"No longer than we anticipated, Draco." Came the amused voice of Blaise Zabini who had motioned a house elf over to refill his champagne flute.

"Then I can trust that you kept yourselves well entertained in my stead?" He questioned, a small smirk toying with the edges of his lips.

"Oh, undoubtedly! You see, Marcus here," Blaise began, patting the aforementioned wizard on the back. "Was _just _about to bet his prized broom that you wouldn't show your face until we had started in on desserts. I, having known you the longest, said that you wouldn't grace us with your presence until the alcohol was being poured...Of course, being the right bastard you are, you had to come in before we had a chance to shake on it!"

"I'm surprised that you would risk your broom on such a bet, Marcus. It's all you talk about." Draco mused as he cut into his steak. "Blaise must have put up something just as valuable, if not more so, as collateral."

"He bet me a weekend with his witch." Marcus grinned, though the elbow in the ribs he received from Blaise cut it short. Marcus smiled sheepishly at the wizard next to him who returned a glare in response.

"Betting witches, Blaise? Are we in still in school?" Draco laughed, "What would poor Margaret say if she found out?"

"I consider myself a man who is not opposed to sharing his wealth when it proves to be necessary,." Blaise shrugged innocently, using the corners of his napkin to wipe his mouth. "Margaret wouldn't mind an inch.. You know just as well as I that there are plenty of ways to entice a witch."

"It's a shame that I lost. I can just imagine all of that beautiful dark brown skin right under me as I-"

"Watch it, Marcus." Blaise warned, his tone harsher than Draco would have expected it to be.

"Ah, I see now that she means more to you than what you've been leading on. Last month she was just another bint but _today _she is worth a warning over," Draco smirked as he brought his wine glass to his lips.

"Doesn't your witch have the Malfoy ring on her finger?" Blaise countered, "When will you be donning your wedding robes?"

"Pure technicalities." He lied. It _was_ true to a point. There were certain expectations that came along with being a pureblood and even greater ones for being a Malfoy. "Luckily for me, the hoops Gringotts would make me jump through to secure enough money for the lavish wedding Astoria would want are far too great."

"Gringotts?" Marcus questioned as his glass was replenished by the house elves. "Since when is Gringotts involved in your affairs?"

"_Our _affairs. Ours and everyone else involved in our...business." Draco started, "I had a rather telling conversation with Patil and _Goldswine _today that's led me to believe that Gringotts is the one in control of our estates."

"But that would mean-"Marcus started

"That the drovel that the Ministry has been feeding us for the past two years is absolute shite. "Draco finished, "They are not in control and most likely have never been. They do nothing more than add their names to the end of the parchment Gringotts sends them every month."

"That is very interesting, Draco, I will give you that. But _why_ does it matter which institution is pulling the strings and which isn't?" Blaise asked, running his fingers through his hair.

"What do you two know about Gringotts?" Draco questioned simply.

Marcus and Blaise answered simultaneously, "Staffed by Goblins."

"_Right. _The Ministry can't be swayed; I think we've all seen that over the course of the last two years. Knowing that Gringotts is in control of, at least, the money portion of our estates helps us tremendously," He said as the plates in front of them disappeared only to be replaced by small desserts. "Humans are loyal to whatever gives them power. Goblins, on the other hand, have an allegiance to nothing but money."

"So, you're planning on bribing the goblins? Do you truly believe they'll become so drunk on greed they'll look past all that we've done?" Blaise laughed

"Bribing is illegal, Zabini. I doubt you want to see the inside of another cell any time soon." Draco smirked, not missing the scowl on his face. " We will only be offering certain...incentives."

"_Incentives_ to the whole lot of them?"

"Merlin, no, that is not necessary." Draco replied coolly, "All it takes is two or three."

"That might work, Draco." Marcus offered earnestly.

"It will." He said confidently. He tipped his wine glass at both of his dinner guests. "Drink up, men. We have more to discuss before the evening is over."

::

In terms of social status, goblins were only step above house-elves. The difference between the two creatures, as he had learned from his father, was that one believed that it held all the power, and the other was more than pleased that it didn't. Goblins were, unlike house-elves, exceptionally clever; this was a point that no wizard, no matter his feeling of superiority, could dismiss. However, despite all of that cleverness, they still tended to the beck and call of wizards.

"Mr. Malfoy, the offer you have extended over the course of the last few days is one in which we believe to be mutually agreeable. However, this establishment risks much in getting involved." The Head Goblin spoke, peering over the top of his lenses at Draco.

"There is always a fraction of risk when the rewards are great, sir." He responded, shifting in his seat.

"And you do understand that the risk involves the Ministry who, as you know too well, has never been forgiving?"

Draco nodded, "I am well aware of that, sir. After all, wasn't it the Ministry that made it so goblins and other like magical creatures can't purchase or use a wand? The wand ban I think they call it."

The Head Goblin slammed both palms on the wood of his desk, "Do you think of me as a fool that knows not of when he's being strung along, Mr. Malfoy?" He spoke harshly, lacing his fingers together. "This is not the first time your kind has come in looking to cause trouble, and I doubt it will be the last. We have no interest in your affairs or that of the Ministry. We remain neutral in our indifference."

"Which is why I'm not asking you to choose sides," Draco commented, "Simply asking that your attitude of indifference remains just that: indifference. If your loyalty is to this establishment and what you protect in this building...than our causes are one and the same. I remain loyal to my money as well. I see not why we can't both benefit from this."

The Head Goblin stared at him for a while in silence, his eyes narrowing. "Call for the girl," He called, motioning toward the goblin that stood nearest to the door. "Have her bring the necessary files."

"The girl?" Draco questioned. He had heard of a few wizards who still worked as curse breakers for Gringotts, but that was not a field that would be involved in the matters at hand.

"Yes, _the girl_. Remember our talk of neutrality; we hire the best no matter the pedigree. Of course, we'd rather hire an all goblin staff but, sometimes, the risk is worth the reward."

Draco turned his head at the sound of clicking heels, his eyes traveling up the woman's form until he had reached her face. Though her hair was pulled tightly back, in what Draco could only surmise was supposed to be a sensible bun, the rough brown curls still poked out from whatever was trying to hold them back. Her features were the same, as could only be expected, it hadn't been long since the last time he had seen her.

"What does she do here?" Draco directed his question towards the Head Goblin, ignoring the witch all together.

"I sort files. "She answered, pursing her lips in annoyance.

"Ms. Granger is one of our book keeps at Gringotts. She sorts, categorizes, and files all pertinent information that comes here, as well as a host of other tasks. If it suits your taste we can appoint her as a liaison, as I'm sure you know it wouldn't be wise to extend our relationship past what is absolutely necessary."

"What _is _the nature of this relationship, if I may ask." The witch questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You may not." The Head Goblin denied, "You've never asked for more information than what is needed to do your job so I fail to see why you would start now, Ms. Granger."

"We've had previous engagements." Draco admitted, his facial expression carefully guarded. "Can you ensure her impartiality?"

"Yes." She lied, again pursing her lips as he purposely excluded her from the conversation. "You are nothing more than a file and an annotation to me. Hardly something I need to be impartial over in the first place."

_Bint_, he thought to himself.

"There you have it, Mr. Malfoy," He said, handing a quill to Granger.

Draco watched as his _liaison _flipped through the documents inside of the folder that she had brought with her. "You'll need to sign here, here, and here. "She said evenly as she handed him both the documents and quill. "Date here, as well as put your initials in this box to signify that you've read both articles thoroughly."

He quickly signed the necessary papers and handed it back to her as quickly as it was given to him.

"Ms. Granger will..._recalculate_..what is given to you and report back her findings. If she were to find that you are due more money than you have been receiving, we will increase your stipend. " The Head Goblin announced, pushing himself back from his desk. "You are now free to leave, Mr. Malfoy. All has been settled and agreed upon. Your liaison and I will now finish this conversation in private."

Draco nodded as he stood up quickly, his head swimming. As he looked over at Granger he noticed her staring at him curiously, their eyes breaking contact as soon as she realized that she had been caught.

"We'll be in contact, Granger." Draco promised as he left the room.

"I can hardly wait." She breathed as she sat down in the chair that he had left vacant.

::

**Authors note**: This my very first fanfiction :3. Let me know if you think this is work continuing :)


	2. The Uprising

Little White Lies: The web that intertwined them was made up of nothing more than little white lies. In the end, will their lies be responsible for their downfall, or will they make it out unscathed?

::

The sudden sound of laughter broke the icy silence of winter that had lulled her into a daydream. She pulled the warm knit against her body as she watched the snowballs fly through the air. A smile danced across her lips as she watched Teddy dodge the charmed snowballs that chased him; his hair changing from color to color until it settled on the same shade of pink that brightened his cheeks. He managed to look every inch like his father as he grinned madly, showing off the missing front tooth that he, as he had told them numerous times over the course of the last few days, had lost to a rather tough apple.

The toughest, he had sworn to her with a chest puffed out in pride and a head of hair as golden as any sunset she had ever seen.

He made to run towards her, but was sent tumbling as the final snowball collided into his back. The snow muffled his laughter as she reached him. She pulled his body against the warmth of her own as he continued to shake in laughter, muttering words that were only lost in the crook of her neck.

"You won't see another year if you stay in these wet clothes." She tried her hardest to sound as if she were lecturing, but failed all the same. Her words were tinged in an obvious amusement that caused the boy to look up at her with a smile. "I won't charm your jumper any warmer! It won't do you any good to stay out here in warm clothes and a runny nose."

"I'm not cold! I swear it! All I need is my-" His protest was cut short by a series of sneezes that seemed to knock the wind out of him. He smiled up at her sheepishly, knowing he had been caught red-handed.

"If I let you freeze out here I'd never hear the end of it. We'd better get inside." She insisted as she grabbed his gloved hand and began to pull him towards the Burrow. "Besides, a little bird told me that Molly has something warm cooked up for all of us. You don't want those greedy uncles of yours slurping it down before you've had your fill, do you?"

He paused for a moment, shaking his head as if the very thought made him ill. "Ron ate my cake last year." He said as darkly as any child his age could. "He didn't save me anything but a silver!"

She laughed. "You mean a sliver," She noted the look on his face and realized that even he might be tired of her constant need to correct. She pushed open the door to the Burrow, nodding at the wizard sitting on the sofa.

They both peered into the kitchen, watching as Ron stood behind Molly with a bowl in his hand and a look of hunger clearly etched onto his bespeckled face. Teddy watched through narrowed eyes as Ron's hand reached for the ladle that lay on top of the kitchen counter and made way to the pot on the stove.

"I think we made it back just in time!" Hermione chuckled

"Don't touch my soup, Ron!" Teddy yelled as he ran into the kitchen, leaving a trail of melted snow in his wake.

"Mad about the snowball to the back?" Harry questioned as she sat down next to him.

She shook her head. "More like the birthday cake that barely was." She replied as she kicked off her snow boots and drew her legs to her chest. "That boy can hold a grudge like no one else I've ever met."

She leaned her head against his shoulder and peered at the newspaper that he held in his hands. "You don't get between a man and his food, Hermione. No matter how young the man is." He laughed.

"I dread the day that he finds out that I'm responsible for one of those missing slices of cake." She admitted.

"Two, actually." He corrected, holding up as many fingers with a smile, "I'll take that bit of information to my grave, 'Mione. Though, I think he loves you too much to ever be cross with you."

At his words, her eyes wandered back to the kitchen where Teddy sat on one of the stools. The family he had gained over the course of the last few years surrounded him. Their attention was focused on him as he showed, for what she could only assume was the umpteenth time, his missing front teeth. For her part, Molly seemed as in awe as she was the very first time he had shown her. She dug into her apron pocket to find spare change to give him. The tooth fairy, Hermione had learned, was as not only a Muggle tradition.

"Have I thanked you lately?" Harry asked, looking at her seriously. "Properly?"

She blushed under his eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "Why would you need to thank me?"

"For looking after Teddy the way you have. Taking him in when we both know you didn't have to, especially because he's not your responsibility." He said, setting the newspaper down on his lap. With his hands free, he used his arms to encircle her body, tucking her head underneath his chin.

"He's hardly a responsibility, Harry. He reminds me a lot of you, or how I think you would have been when you were his age. " She said honestly. She didn't say any more about what similarities she saw between the two because she thought he might already know. "It's been nice having him stay with me while you've been gone. Crookshanks isn't his biggest fan, but I think he just gets confused with all the colour changes..he must think I'm bringing home a new little boy every day."

Harry smiled, but it was a gesture, she noticed, that didn't reach his eyes.

"When we get this all figured out, Ginny and I will do right by him. More so than what we have been doing." He promised as she leaned closer into him. "I just want him to have the stability we can't provide for him right now. I don't want to uproot him every time we need to follow a lead."

Hermione nodded her head. What was only supposed to be a week's stay in her flat turned into Teddy living with her for the better part of the year. She was angry at first, quite angry if she were being completely honest, but eventually came to understand that being an Auror came with certain ambiguities. The ambiguities that Harry faced all seemed to revolve around time. He never knew how much he had in one place or another before he would be called to leave, come back, or be tucked away somewhere. All he knew of time was that it could be spent somewhere and somehow.

It reminded her of the days they had spent in war. Though they had promised themselves that their lives would be different once it ended, not much had changed for Harry. He was still the boy who lived, and with that title came certain expectations and charges. At least this time, he seemed to be doing it all through his own volition and not because it had been willed so by forces out of any of their control.

And now, as he often reminded her, he was being paid for his services. Handsomely, he had told her weeks ago as he snatched the brightly wrapped Christmas present from her hands before she even had a chance to properly shake it.

"I think he's happy with how things are for right now and I find myself the happiest when I know he is. I'm clearly not as altruistic as you think, Harry." She said softly, risking another glance at the subject of their conversation.

Though both Harry and Ginny had been in London for two weeks, Teddy had remained with her. He had outright refused when Ginny had shown up outside of her home to take him back to the flat she owned with Harry. Being passed from person to person, no matter how fond he was of them, reminded him all too well that he didn't belong anywhere. Hermione, he had said, made him feel less like an orphan and more like himself.

"I just wish I could be around more for him and myself. I made a promise to look out for him, and it feels wrong to delegate that task to someone else...even when it's someone I trust with my life." He admitted, "It's this blasted mission that's messed everything up. Every time we make progress we're sent back to square one with nothing to show for it but more wasted time."

Disentangling himself from her, he handed her the newspaper that lay on his lap.

"Read the headline."

"The Uprising," She read, hesitating for a moment as her eyes scanned the next line. Her fingers brushed against the picture that accompanied the article and she found herself counting both the familiar faces and the ones she didn't know. Harry's face, as it usually was, was front and center. Though the picture cut off prematurely, she could tell that he was only seconds away from yelling.

"Hermi-"

"Are they a true threat or another case of Ministry propaganda." She finished.

"Keep reading," He urged, pointing to the next few lines.

"I don't need to keep reading to know that Rita Skeeter has, yet again, wrote absolute garbage. She always finds a way to one up herself. " Hermione dismissed, "It would be impressive if I didn't find her so despicable."

"Despicable or not, she affects the court of public opinion, Hermione. By even suggesting that the Uprising is rubbish we're feeding the public to keep them toeing the line is dangerous," He argued, "People won't come forward to report what they don't believe exists. Quite honestly, we need every bit of help we can get."

Hermione sighed. This was not the first time that Rita Skeeter had penned an article that was tilted against the Ministry. And it surely won't be the last, She thought as she bit her lip. It was, however, the first time she had noticed Harry getting worked up over it. She thought to tell him how ridiculous he was being, but swallowed her honesty with a bite of her tongue before it could create a row.

"I understand, Harry. You know how much I do," She sympathized, "Has there been any news from the field?"

"Nothing new from my end," He replied with a shake of his head. "Its like they don't exist...but they do. We know that they do. We have shelves full of records dating back at least two years! And yet I've got people in the field who haven't seen their families in months running around chasing an idea. I've got no clue what to say to them."

"Everyone's gotten too used to dark wizards wearing their allegiances like badges of honor," She said simply, "These are different times, Harry. Not too long ago the death eaters saw their leaders crumble. The ones who managed to stay out of Azkaban surely have family members who are in there rotting, or worse. It's best for them if they stay under the radar for as long as possible..The less noise they make the less chance they have of being sniffed out and sent to the dementors."

"I know you're right because you're rarely not, but that doesn't make it any less frustrating," He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I wish I knew why there has been such a lag in activity these last few months. Or, at least, how they're managing to do all of this right underneath our noses."

She shrugged, "I don't know."

"Hermione Granger finally admits to not having all the answers?" He smiled

"Hardly! My invite to the Uprising monthly council must have gotten lost in the post is all," She joked, "Maybe you've simply have gotten too close and they had to pull back or risk exposure."

"That's one of our guesses," He confessed, "Another working theory is that they're trying to acquire more resources without setting off any alarms. We know that it was much easier for their lot before the fall of Voldemort. They all the resources in the world, didn't they? Access to all the money that they could ever need and ties to enough old blood lines to ensure they always had protection and power."

"And now that's all gone," She echoed.

"Or, at least, it looks that way on the surface. Maybe that's why they've gone so quiet...They're campaigning or whatever it is that they need to do. To have come this far they need those same resources if not more, " He whispered, his voice so low that she could barely hear him. She realized then that he wasn't talking to her as much as he was thinking out loud to her. "Instead of looking for them individually, our focus should partly be on looking for where the resources are coming from... and then we can follow the trail back to the ghosts."

"Yes, and that's what I-" Her sentence ended when Teddy bounded into the room, counting the coins he had received from Molly.

"Ghosts?" Teddy asked, parroting the last word that Harry had spoken. "Scary ones?"

"No, Teddy, not the scary ones," She assured him quickly as she shot a warning look towards Harry. "I think we've had enough fun for the day, don't you?"

Teddy stomped his feet. "We can't leave! George promised I could be the first to try his dream drought! He said-"

As quickly as he was mentioned, George Weasley peeked his head around the corner.

"He's lying!" He accused as he put his hands in the air. "Or mistaken...you know how kids are! I only said he should try dreaming tonight. I've always thought it was a shame to fall asleep and have no dreams. Or too many dreams... Just dream one dream tonight, kid."

"What's the golden rule?" She asked Teddy as George returned to the kitchen with a sheepish smile.

"Don't digest-"

"Ingest. "She corrected, pulling on her snow boots.

"-anything that George won't take first. "

"Thatta boy!" Harry laughed, patting him on the back. "Are you still open for lunch tomorrow?"

"I don't know if I'm going to have the time, "Hermione answered as she stood from her seat on the sofa. "I'm meeting with a new client and I've got a few forms to run over before. I'll owl you a little before lunch and let you know how it goes."

"If not lunch then dinner?"

"I can't," She breathed out, "Teddy will be having dinner here with Molly and the rest of the family if you'd like to join them."

"Where will you be?" He questioned as she laced her fingers through Teddy's.

"Not here."

"Is there something that you're not telling me?" He asked curiously as his eyes followed her around the room.

"No." She lied.

"Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Yes! You're acting like my father instead of one of my best mates who must know know that I'm far too old to be questioned about my whereabouts," She replied defensively as she grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the Weasley fireplace. "I'll owl you tomorrow about lunch."

With that, both she and Teddy stepped into the green flames of the fireplace, leaving Harry Potter to wonder what had just happened.

::

They donned the darkness of the night as though it were an invisibility cloak. Always hopeful that they were careful enough - had covered their tracks well enough - that they would not be seen. Lest this ends like the time before, He thought to himself as he pressed a kiss to the temple of his betrothed.

Draco had witnessed meetings of this nature all throughout his boyhood. One of the first arguments he could recall overhearing his parents have was over his introduction into what his father had called 'the circle'.

His mother, ever the protector, had argued that he was only a boy who shouldn't have to fret over the dealings of men. His father, ever the realist, had responded that it was much better to pay your dues as a child than it was as a man. In the end, his mother had won, as she often did, and his entrance into the circle didn't occur for several more years. By that time, as his father had predicted, his dues were much higher than they would have been if he were still a child.

As a house-elf neared, Draco took a champagne flute from its serving platter and handed it to Astoria. The two exchanged looks before joining with the chorus of other voices.

"To liberty!"

"To prestige!"

"To power!"

With that, the room stood on their feet to toast the new beginning.

::

A/N: Thank you for the comments and kudos on the first chapter of LWL :) I hope those of you who found chapter 1 enjoyable feel the same about this one! Let me know what you think!


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